Home Is Where Your Heart Belongs
by kurrii
Summary: Sergeant Beca Mitchell leaves behind her wife, Chloe, and a son at home every time she is deployed with the Army's Special Forces. Every time she leaves, it gets harder and harder for both women. Read as the Beale-Mitchell family goes through personal, family, and career problems together. Can they overcome them?
1. September 13, 2015

Green and khaki camouflage could be seen for miles. The sound of boots clashing with concrete could not go unnoticed. Whistles pierced eardrums of anyone listening. The sweltering heat affecting each individual, but faces were kept straight.

It was 13:12 in Ramtha, Jordan, just miles outside of the Syrian border. It was 112 degrees in September, but the United States Army Special Forces didn't care. They were there to do one job, and that was to protect their country.

A unit just finished their daily assigned run and was resting in the barracks before their next assignment in roughly two hours. Beca Mitchell was relaxing on her bunk when the delivery boy entered the room with a chunk of letters.

"Smith, Mitchell, Wesley, Albertson, Swanson, McKinley, you got letters." He passed out the letters and Beca happily took her three, two letters from her wife and one from a grade school. She watched as her best friend, Jesse Swanson, collected his two and made his way to Beca's bunk.

"You open one first, then I will." Beca said. She always got nervous when it came to her wife's letters, although they always consisted of the usual 'I miss you', 'I love you', 'your son misses and loves you', and a juicy story to get her fill of gossip.

"Alright. It's from Mill Creek Elementary School in Washington." He struggled opening the letter. Eventually, it was opened to find a red piece of construction paper with a drawing of a stick figure dressed in an Army uniform, saluting one hand, and holding an American flag with the other. It simply read 'Good Luck Soldier!' in messy 3rd grade writing. Jesse smirked, making sure to put it with the others. "Your turn, Mitchell."

She opened her letter from the grade school, Rossville Elementary in Illinois, and it had roughly the same drawing as Jesse's, except it read 'Good luck soldier. I hope you make it home to your family safe and sound. Love, Isabella, aged 9.' She smiled, tucked it back in the envelope it came in, and tossed it on her night stand. "Move, Swanson. I gotta read about my lady."

Jesse laughed, "For a badass Sergeant, you sure are whipped."

"Like you aren't. How is that fiancée of yours, huh?" Beca raised an eyebrow at the Corporal.

"Doin' just fine." He slapped her knee with his remaining letter and walked to his bunk. Beca laughed as she read the first letter from her wife.

 _'Dear Sergeant Mitchell,_

 _It's kind of weird saying that, since last time I saw you you were a Corporal. So I guess a congratulations should be in order when you get home?_

 _Speaking of home, everything is fine. Jaxson can't wait to see his mommy, he's probably tired of seeing me everyday. He joined a playgroup with some of the other kids on base, so he's not with me all day. He loves it, though. A little boy brought a Captain America toy one day, and he fell in love with it. I bought him one and he hasn't let go of it since._

 _Maggie had her baby yesterday. Well, more like babies. She had twins, and the doctor didn't even know about the second one. A boy and a girl. No names are picked out yet, but they're adorable._

 _The ladies in our group said you guys are coming home soon. I hope so. Four months away from you is killing me._

 _I love you Beca Elizabeth Beale Mitchell. I want you to stay safe and write as soon as possible._

 _Love,_

 _Your wife, Chloe_

 _Dated: September 3, 2015.'_

Beca was grinning like an absolute maniac after reading the letter. It was shorter than others, but she still loved it. She sent the letter ten days ago, which bothered her a little bit, but it hadn't been the longest. While in Iraq, it took 33 days to get one letter.

She opened the second one, a drawing of her son's hand with different colors inside the lines. Along the top it read 'We love you SGT Mitchell' in neat handwriting. She set the letters on her bedside table before leaving the barrack.

* * *

Chloe looked through a window and watched her 18-month-old son play Legos with another little boy. She couldn't help but think that he was an exact photocopy of her wife. He had the same brown hair and dark blue eyes, he was social but loved his nap times, he liked almost any food, already showed signs of being a lefty, and was definitely stubborn as hell. Sure, Chloe carried him for nine months, but it was Beca's eggs that were used.

Before they got married they knew they wanted kids. Even Beca, who was already knee deep in the military at the time of their engagement. A week after the wedding they went to a doctor to find out the odds of Chloe having a baby.

The results weren't good. She had a very low rate of egg production, and finding anonymous eggs were way too pricey. That's when Beca stepped up to donate her eggs. She didn't want to watch her wife slowly fall in a dark pit because she couldn't have a baby, so she had the procedure done. She wanted to do everything to make the love of her life happy.

So within a short month, they found an anonymous sperm donor, had an IVF procedure done, and Chloe was pregnant. Nine months later, 3 days after Beca got back from Iraq, they had a beautiful baby boy named Jaxson Avery Beale Mitchell.

"Is that your kid?" Chloe snapped out of a trance to find a tall blonde standing next to her, pointing at a redhead that was chewing on a blanket.

"Uh, no. Mine is the one with the Captain America toy playing with Lincoln Logs." Chloe smiled at her son. "Do you have a kid in there?"

"No, I don't have kids. My fiance and I have talked about it, but with him being in the Army and all." Chloe understood how she felt, she had the same feeling at first, but it was gone when her usually badass wife gushed over baby clothes.

Instead of continuing to stand by the window of the children's play center, they decided to go to a coffee shop and get to know each other there.

"We got engaged right before his deployment. He gave me a key to his house before he left, this is just the first time I've been to it alone." The woman's blue, almost grey, eyes stared at the table.

"What's your name again?"

"Aubrey Posen."

"Well Aubrey, I wish I could tell you it gets better. My wife has been with the Army for six years, and five of it has been spent in the Special Forces. You move all the time, you hardly talk or see each other. But when you do, it makes it that much more special." Chloe smiled at the bride-to-be.

"Thanks Chloe. That means a lot." Aubrey gave her a half smile.

"So who is this fiancé?"

"Corporal Jesse Swanson."

* * *

"Aim…Ready...Fire!" A Staff Sergeant yelled to the group of privates that were getting practice at firing their guns. Beca and her designated wingman Jesse had been watching over their group of five people to make sure they knew how to correctly use a gun.

"Swanson, take over. I wanna fire." She took a set of headgear and set her gun on the deck. She quickly loaded it with bullets and cocked before he said fire. Before Beca could hear the word, a private from a different unit was calling for her attention.

"Sergeant Mitchell, Sergeant Major Osborne needs to see you."

Instead of focusing on him, she focused her attention on the target in front of her. Her head got low, her eyes even with the target, and stared at the black dot in the middle of the paper person. She gripped the barrel of her gun and placed a fore finger on the trigger. As soon as the keyword was said, she pulled back the trigger back. In a split second, the bullet was released and flung forward several feet into the paper.

Jesse, who was watching through a pair of binoculars, exclaimed "bullseye!"

Beca smirked, placed her gun on safety, and handed it to Jesse. She patted the private's arm before he led her to the office.

As she walked in, she immediately saluted, and was greeted with a salute back, signaling she could put her arm down and walk forward. Osborne was near his 50s and dedicated his whole life to being in the Army. He was eligible to retire 30 years prior, but felt his job of commanding the Special Forces was much more important.

"How long have you been in Jordan?" He stood while asking the question.

"4 months and counting, sir." She stood straight and held her hands behind her back.

"I want you to go back and gather your unit," he paused and looked at Beca, who had hard eyes that steadied on him, "and tell them you guys are going home. Effective immediately." Beca simply grinned and nodded her head. She saluted him before leaving the room to tell her unit the good news.

* * *

 **So i know this is a long-ish first chapter, but i wanted to have a good introduction to the rest of the story. This idea was in my head for a while and i just decided to act upon it. I hope you guys like it! Please review and favorite if you enjoyed it!**

 _ **Important note: I am not in the United States Army, nor do I have any close relatives in the Army. All of the information, such as ranks, are based off of intense research. If I say anything wrong, please correct me, it would be very appreciated.**_


	2. September 14, 2015

"I want to enlist in the Army." A 19-year-old Beca said while playing with her girlfriend's red, wavy hair.

"Seriously?" Chloe said while staring up at her, as she had her head rested on Beca's legs while swinging on a porch swing.

"Yeah, I already told Dad and he's fine with it. If I enlist now, I can go to basic, get a job on the base, then go into the Special Forces since I have a year of college done and I'll be 20 by then.

Chloe sat up and began digesting the new information. They hadn't been dating long, but this was it for her. She was 22, but didn't want anyone else, she didn't want to look anymore.

"What about us? I don't want to leave you."

"Basic is 10 weeks, then there is graduation. You can go with my dad and I can see you then. Depending on what job I do, I might have some time to spend with you before I go to tech school." Beca used her thumb to wipe a tear that fell from Chloe's eye. "It won't be that bad, I promise. After I get out of tech school, you can go with me anywhere the Army takes me."

There was a silence between them, and the only thing that could be heard was the crickets chirping and the swing creaking with each sway.

Chloe took a deep breath and said "Alright Private Mitchell, it's fine with me. Go make us proud." She gave her a smile while tears rolled down her face.

Beca held her in a giant hug and whispered, "I will, babe."

* * *

"Did you call the wife?" Jesse asked as they waited for the helicopter to pick them up.

"No, I'm making it a surprise. Did you call your girl?"

"It's a surprise as well." Beca smirked and watched as the helicopter hovered above the marked landing spot. It eventually landed and the big sliding door opened. It won't be how they get home, but it was one step away.

As they took their seats on the cramped, hot helicopter, Jesse asked the one question that everyone wanted to ask, but was too afraid to.

"When do you think we're coming back?" Some of the younger soldiers didn't hear him, but Beca certainly did.

"Frankly Swanson, I'm not too concerned about that. We'll come back when we come back. I just want to think about my family right now, not some Syrian war we have to eventually fight in." She secured her backpack's straps around her knees so it wouldn't slide away, then she crossed her arms over her chest.

Jesse looked at her with hard eyes. "Yes ma'am, Sergeant Mitchell."

* * *

The Kentucky air was cool as she stepped out of the two story home. She agreed to meet Aubrey to move in a few things before Jesse came home. Beca and Jesse were close, so she knew he had a girlfriend, she just never had the opportunity to meet her.

"How long have Beca and Jesse known each other?" The blonde asked. She was carrying 2 small boxes of things that he left at her house.

"About 5 years. They went to Special Forces training together but didn't really talk until their first mission about two months later."

"Where were they?" A curious Aubrey asked, obviously not knowing too much about her fiance's Army past.

"13 months in Iraq."

Chloe's eyes began to look glassy. That was the longest the couple had been away from each other, and it almost didn't have a happy ending. Beca, a new soldier, was fighting almost every enemy group for a year and a month straight with very little communication to her family. They were only sent home because the Humvee Beca and Jesse were riding crashed into the side of a building. They came out okay, went home, but returned overseas 7 months later.

Aubrey noticed her eyes and decided to change the subject. "So what drawer do you think Jesse puts his shirts in?" Chloe laughed, wiped away the few fallen tears, and helped her unpack.

* * *

"Mr. Mitchell?" Chloe asked as she walked into the Mitchell house.

"Chloe, for the thousandth time, call me Scott. Whatcha need?" Beca's dad said, closing the door behind her.

"I just came over to say hi, but there's this box addressed to Beca. It was on the porch." She handed him the cardboard box, neither of them knowing the contents of it.

"It's from the Army." Scott said warily. Chloe's throat tightened up. She didn't want to know if Beca was hurt, or even worse, dead. She wouldn't know what she would do with her life, other than wait for Beca's arrival like she has been for over a year.

Scott cut the heavy duty packing tape that covered the box and ripped it open. It was filled with all of her belongings such as pictures, clothing, and tons of letters. Chloe's eyes filled to the brim with tears and her heart started beating rapidly as she began to think of all of the worst possible situations. There was a letter addressed from the Army that read,

" _Dear Mr. Scott Mitchell,_

 _Your daughter, Private First Class Beca Mitchell, will be arriving home from Iraq on October 12, 2011. Her plane will land at 12:30 ET at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Alabama, Gate 6._

 _Unfortunately, your daughter has been in an accident and will be on medical leave for up to 6 months. She was not seriously injured, but was hospitalized for a week with a concussion, broken right clavicle, and fractured right ring finger. These injuries will heal in 4-6 weeks. Besides the physical injures, she may or may not be battling emotional injuries. It is advised that she seek a counselor within 10 days to find if these injuries exist. The United States Army will be contacting her in 6 months regarding these injuries._

 _Be very proud of your daughters rank and welcome her home with open arms. Congratulations._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The United States Army"_

Chloe looked at Scott, tears streaming down both of their faces. This is not how they wanted Beca coming home, but at least she was.

* * *

Chloe walked into the play center at approximately 1:30. Usually, her son was waiting for her and hugged her legs as soon as she walked in the door. Showing a look of confusion, one of the teachers pointed to the back door with a smile. She waved in thanks as she headed towards the back of the building. On most days, multiple children could be heard while playing on the play sets or in the sandbox. While walking to the door, she didn't hear a single thing. She rushed out of the building, thinking something happened to Jaxson.

Instead of seeing an empty backyard, she saw someone familiar in an Army uniform, sitting on a picnic table bench with a little boy sitting in her lap, both of them playing with a Captain America toy. She took a few steps forward to where she could hear their voices, in particular, one voice she missed for 4 months. She covered her mouth and dropped her purse, tears already falling down her face. The person in the Army uniform looked up and gave a one-of-a-kind smile. She put the kid on the ground and walked, eventually jogged, to meet the extremely happy woman.

Chloe was lifted off of the ground in a hug from the smaller woman. Her wife was home. A letter of something would have been nice, but she didn't care enough at this point. She was set on the ground and kissed her soldier. After 4 very long months, she could finally do that.

"Why are you cryin', babe?" Beca said as she wiped away tears and grinned.

Chloe laughed, "I'm just so happy to see you." She gave her another kiss and felt a tug at her jeans. Beca bent over and picked up the boy.

"Can I have a kiss, little man?" Jaxson faced Beca's mouth with his lips puckered in a slobbery coating. Despite this, the brunette gave him a big kiss. Holding him with one arm, she wrapped her other arm around her wife and kissed her on her temple.

"I'm finally home, babe."

* * *

Beca set her duffle bag in the living room and moved around the house a bit. "I love what you did with the place." She noticed a couple of new pictures on the wall, and how the furniture had been rearranged.

"It's not much, but thanks." She smiled at her wife. Her other half untied her boots, took them off, and moved them to a mat near the front door. She also took off her hat and put it on a hook. She went up to Chloe and wrapped her arms around her waist. "How long do I have with you this time?" The redhead looked into her eyes, not prepared for the answer, despite confidently asking it.

Beca shrugged, "A while, I hope. They didn't say much about another deployment, just that we could come home." She moved her hands to cup them under Chloe's jaw. "I don't want to think about that right now. I just want to think about how I'm home, I'm with my wonderful family, and I get to share a bed with my wife after all these months." She grinned and kissed her on the lips.

After the kiss, Chloe piped up, "You get to share a bed with your wife and son. Jaxson hasn't slept alone since you left."

"Even better."

That night, the three of them got dressed up in semi-formal dress apparel and met Jesse and Aubrey for dinner. Beca had seen many, many pictures of Jesse's fiancee, but had not once met her, so she was excited for that. Both of them were also excited to eat food that didn't come from a bag.

"Not all of it tasted bad, but not all of it tasted good." Beca laughed as talk of MREs, or Meals, Ready to Eat, came about.

"You get used to most of it over time. I still haven't gotten use to the chili and beans." Jesse shook his head, remembering the numerous times he had to swallow his pride and eat it. That, or trade meals with another soldier.

"What food do you miss the most?" Aubrey said, her eyes falling on either Jesse or Beca every other second.

"I would say fast food. A couple of times places have had Burger King or Taco Bell, but it's not the same." Beca said, looking at Chloe. They already had plans to eat breakfast at McDonalds, lunch at Taco Bell, and dinner at Burger King the next day.

"Breadsticks" Jesse murmured as the waiter set down a basket full of breadsticks with sides of marinara sauce and cheese sauce. Beca took a plate and ripped a breadstick in half, one half for herself, the other for Jaxson. She gave him a small amount of cheese, which quickly ended up all over his mouth and chin. Jesse, who sat on the other side of the little boy, watched the kid he considered a nephew. They've only met on a few occasions, but he saw pictures and heard a ton of stories.

They all took their orders and talked some more. Aubrey, who had the least experience with the military, had most of the questions.

"So have you guys always been in the same unit?" The blonde asked, playing with the straw to her Pepsi.

Jesse nodded his head, "We've been weirdly lucky and have been in the same unit the whole time. Traveled a ton together."

Chloe elaborated, "North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, and now Kentucky." Aubrey gave a shocked expression, as she only knew about Florida, since that is where they met.

"Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria." Beca said naturally as she cut into her lasagna. Jesse nodded his head and looked at his fiancee. She had never really been told about his tours, as it was a soft subject for him. It was also a soft subject for Beca, she hardly ever talked about her service, she could just name the places she's been.

Soon, Jaxson finished his dinner and got fussy. Chloe excused herself to take him to the bathroom, forcing the now quiet Aubrey to go with her.

"Don't feel bad that he hasn't told you everything. I hardly know anything about Beca's tours. It's hard for them to talk about." Chloe was thankful she chose the bathroom to go to, as no one was in there and Jaxson needed a diaper change.

"But Chloe, he hasn't told me anything except he's moved a few times, he's been in the middle east, he's a Corporal, and he has a purple heart, yet he still re-enlisted."

Chloe finished changing him and set him on the floor. "I don't know much more than that, and I've been here the whole time." She looked at Aubrey, who still looked like a hurt puppy. She extended her arms and wrapped them around the taller blonde. "You'll learn not to ask too many questions."

They got back to the table and the plates had been cleared. "What is the date, babe?" Beca asked, taking the boy from Chloe's arms and setting him on her lap.

"September 14th. Why?"

"I told you, ass hat." She motioned towards the Corporal. "He kept saying it's the 15th. Our times are just screwed up."

Jesse shook his head and walked to Beca, who was now also standing and holding her son's hand. "I don't care, I'm just happy as hell to be home."

* * *

 **I hope the flashbacks didn't confuse anyone, I just wanted a little background with Beca/Chloe and Beca's first tours. Should I add more flashbacks or no?**

 **Also, one of my friends went into the Air Force this week. Congrats and good luck to them!**

 **I hope you liked this chapter! Suggestions are very welcome. Thanks for reading!**

 _Important note: I am not in the United States Army, nor do I have any close relatives in the Army. All of the information, such as ranks and bases, are based off of intense research. If I say anything wrong, please correct me, it would be very appreciated._


	3. October 4, 2015

Jaxson played on the plastic play-set that his parents just bought him. Beca watched from a lawn chair as he climbed up the built-in ladder to a landing that led to the slide. Before she left the last time, he could barely walk on his own. He always needed furniture or a helpful hand to guide him places. Now, he was climbing ladders and running around like he had been doing it for years.

"A penny for your thoughts." Chloe said, handing a bottle of water to her wife while pulling up a chair beside her.

"He's just gotten so big, it's crazy." She kept staring as he tumbled down the slide, giggling as he hit the ground at the bottom. "And you," she put a hand on Chloe's thigh and looked at her, "you are just so strong and independent, more than I've ever seen out of you."

She smirked, "I don't think so, but thanks babe."

"You are, you don't even need me here to hold the house down." Beca looked away and kept her hand to herself. She looked at the direction of her son, but didn't look at him, rather the tree behind him.

"I always need you here." Chloe began feeling upset, she didn't want her wife to feel like she wasn't important in their household.

It had been two weeks since she got home. Chloe would be lying if she said those two weeks were absolutely perfect. Don't get her wrong, she loved having her wife home. She was glad that she could share a bed with someone besides her son, and have an extra set of hands helping around the house. She wasn't glad about the mood swings and unintentional silent treatments and zoning out during conversations. Unfortunately, she had been dealing with for a few years and knew how to handle it.

* * *

"Hey Bec, does your dad know you're home?" Chloe said flipping through a magazine while sitting on their couch.

"Yeah I called him a few days ago. You know he and Sheila moved to Virginia?"

"No, why?" She set the magazine in her lap and turned around to watch her wife clean up some toys.

"He got a really good job offer at one of the colleges over there, and Sheila's company got moved or something." While cleaning the toys, she was oblivious to a Lego brick and firmly planted her foot on it, causing all kinds of swear words to leave her mouth. "The fucking Lego table is on the other side of the fucking room." Her face got red as she threw the brick in the table's direction, missing and hitting the wall. It bounced off and landed on the floor.

Chloe quickly stood up, placed the Lego onto the table and walked over to her wife, who was looking at her foot. "Why don't you go sit down and rest your foot, it looks like you stepped on it pretty hard." She tried placing a hand on the shorter girl's upper arm, but it was fiercely swatted away.

"I don't need to sit down, I need our kid to learn how to pick up his damn toys. Jaxson Avery Beale Mitchell!"

"Don't, he's sleeping." She tossed a few more Legos onto the table.

"I don't care." She barged her way to the stairs, but her wrist was forcibly pulled back.

"I said don't, he's finally sleeping in his own bed." There was fire in both of their eyes, Beca's more so than Chloe's.

"Fuck, fine then, you can step on all the Legos you want." She ripped her arm out of Chloe's grip and made a quick exit out of the back door. Chloe sighed, moving away some of the hair that hung in her face, just as Jaxson's cries rang throughout the house.

Outside, Beca took deep breaths. It was chilly but she didn't feel it through her t-shirt and sweatpants. It was quiet, with a few exceptions from the crickets and cicadas. She dropped her head and closed her eyes, immediately regretting her actions towards her wife. She loved Chloe with all her heart, and she vowed to never hurt her. She didn't physically cause pain, but she knew there was some emotional pain caused. With the windows open, she could hear her son's cries, the cries that she caused because of a stupid Lego. She gripped the porch's wooden railing and listened closely to her wife calming down the boy. Beca took a few more breaths before deciding to finally go inside.

By the time she made her way upstairs, Jaxson's cries had gone away and she found Chloe in their bedroom. She was changing into an over-sized t-shirt, faced opposite from Beca.

"I'm sorry, I should have never snapped like that." Beca leaned against the door frame, taking in the silence that encompassed the room. "I'm going to take a pillow because I think I'm going to sleep on the couch tonight." She crept into the room and gripped her pillow, but another hand stopped her from taking it.

"Don't sleep on the couch, it's not comfortable." Chloe sighed, looking at her wife. Within the minutes of their fight, Beca had visible signs of regret covering her face, and the redhead noticed that immediately. "He didn't mean to leave the toys out, he's just a year old."

"I know that. I don't know what happened, it wasn't me." She loosened the grip on the pillow, but Chloe didn't move her hand at all. There was another short silence before Chloe replied.

"We need a vacation or something. Being cooped up this house isn't good for any of us. We just need to go somewhere." She finally lifted her hand, only to stand up and move the comforter down on the bed.

Beca nodded her head, "We can go to my dad's. He said he has a good sized backyard for Jax to play in, and there's a couple of tourist things we can go do."

Chloe agreed, opening her arms for Beca to join her. She didn't even move the sheets back, she just wrapped her arms around her waist and buried her head in her neck. Chloe drew circles on her arm with her thumb and kissed her head before hearing soft snores from her wife.

* * *

There was 5 days between the fight and going to Virginia. Beca had easily gotten permission for a vacation, since she had so much leave time. Her dad was also thrilled for them to be visiting. He hadn't seen Beca in about four years, talked on the phone every few months that she was home, and Scott had not met his grandson yet.

The nearly 12 hour car ride went smoothly. Chloe drove most of the way as Beca slept most of the way like her son. They had an early start so they drove straight through and got to Tysons, Virginia in the evening. When they parked in the driveway, Beca immediately hopped out of the car and met her dad.

"Hey pop, how's it going?" She stood in front of him, his taller stature semi-towering her smaller one.

Scott smiled, "It's good, Sergeant Mitchell." He paused to look at his daughter, noticing all of the physical changes that happened over a few years. "So, am I allowed to get a hug from my daughter?" Beca grinned and opened her arms, which were quickly filled by her dad, who gave her a tight squeeze.

Chloe soon walked up with Jaxson, the little boy clinging to his mother's side when his grandpa came into view.

"I'm guessing this is the Beca look alike I keep hearing about." When Jaxson didn't move, Scott waved at him, but it just caused the toddler to stick his thumb in his mouth.

"I'm sorry, he's usually not like this." Chloe apologized, playing with the boy's thin hair.

"It's fine, we'll get use to each other. Come here." He stepped towards Chloe and gave her a tight hug as well.

After the reunion, they brought their bags in the house and got their things settled in their rooms. Scott had bought a crib and placed it in one of three guest rooms for him to sleep in. The little boy had yet to stay in his own bed for a full night, but his parents decided not to tell the excited grandpa. His parents, on the other hand, had the biggest guest room. As soon as stepping foot in it, Chloe flopped on the comfortable queen-sized bed.

"You're dad has great taste in furniture."

Beca laughed, "That's why it always took so long to get out of bed when I lived under his roof. My bed felt like heaven." She laid down next to her and let out a small moan. "Yep, just like heaven."

Chloe laid on her side and smiled at her, admiring how beautiful her wife looked when she had her eyes closed, looking as comfortable and peaceful as could be. "Have you talked to your mom at all lately?"

Beca shook her head, "Of course I called her when I joined the service, but the only thing I've heard since is she was traveling around California or something, and that was...right after basic." She finally opened her eyes and tilted her head in Chloe's direction. "Why?"

"I don't know, I was just thinking about how you always talk to your dad, but not your mom."

"I haven't lived with her since I was 14, and haven't had a full conversation with her since I moved. Honestly, I don't really care." She sat up and pecked her on the lips. "I'm going to get Jaxson and go downstairs. You coming with?" Chloe nodded her head and jumped off the bed, following her.

* * *

Beca sat on the steps of the porch, watching the sunset as she played with the seams of her long sleeve shirt. It was chillier than it had been the past couple days, but she didn't mind, it was better than the 90 degree temperatures in the Middle East. Soon, she heard the wooden door creak open and heavy footsteps walk up to her back.

"What are ya doin out here?" A male's voice asked.

"I don't really know. It feels nice out tonight, though." She was handed a mug with steam rolling out before the man, her dad, sat down next to her.

"Jaxson wanted hot chocolate. Well, Chloe and I more than him, really." He chuckled to himself and looked at Beca, who had not even cracked a smile. "How's it been, being home and everything?"

Beca shrugged, "It's fine, I guess. Chloe and I fought the other day, like really bad. She just, I don't know, she doesn't get it." She took a sip of her hot chocolate, ignoring how hot it was.

"Well Bec, no one gets it except you. You're the only one who has been over there and done what you have."

Beca sighed, knowing he was absolutely correct. "I just kind of want to make it up to her, y'know? I'm gone for months and then I'm a dick to her." She took another sip of her drink, this time her tongue registered that it was hot and she got burnt, but luckily she played it off well.

"Do some tourist-y things. I can take Jax for a couple hours while you two spend some time by yourselves." He patted her back, "Just go have fun."

Beca smiled at her dad, "Thanks pops." She gave him a side hug and stood up. "By the way, Jax doesn't like hot chocolate, he just likes the marshmallows." She started laughing as he scoffed, smacking his hand on his knee.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Chloe begged for the tenth time from the passenger seat.

"Quiet down, it's a secret."

"What if I have to pee?"

Beca gave her a funny look, "We've been driving not even 20 minutes. We'll be there in a couple seconds."

Chloe sat back in the leather seat of the car and watched multiple signs whiz by. She didn't get a chance to read any of them until Beca took an exit off the highway, slowed down, and entered a gate.

"Beca, what are we doing?"

"Can't you read the signs, Beale?" Beca smirked.

Chloe smiled back and wrapped her hands around Beca's arm that rested on the console. "It's Beale Mitchell to you." Beca faced her and actually smiled. "But seriously, what are we doing here?"

Beca put the car in park and unbuckled her seat belt. "Dad took Jax so we could do tourist things together, by ourselves. The first on that list is the Arlington National Cemetery. Of course, you would know that if you read the signs." Chloe gave her a dirty look before they both got out of the car.

They caught a shuttle bus at the last minute to go to the Tomb of the Unknown. Beca had only seen it twice, but the redhead had never seen it, she hadn't even been to Virginia before. They drove past a couple of memorials and hundreds, maybe thousands, of graves. Chloe tightened her grip on Beca's hand. She was sure they didn't pass anyone that Beca knew, but she couldn't be sure because Beca knew a lot of people. As they got to the shuttle station, they decided to see the nearby memorials first, then see the tomb.

"Look at that...thing." Chloe said, looking straight up the memorial and into the sun.

"It's a mast, you goof. It honors the people who died on USS Maine." She rubbed her eyes to adjust them from looking at the sun, then read the description that she hadn't seen before making her comment. After reading it, she walked to the Challenger Memorial, Beca soon following.

"I remember watching a 10-year anniversary thing on TV about this. I was 9 and my mom bawled like a baby when they showed the explosion." She bent down and read the poem that was engraved on the back. Beca had read it before, so she just watched Chloe. She watched how her eyes moved slowly to see every word, her head sometimes following along, how her straightened red hair blew in her face and she didn't care to move it, then eventually how her eyes glistened more than usual because she started to tear up.

When she was done and realized she actually started crying, she laughed at herself. "I don't mean to cry. It just got to me." Beca smirked as she wrapped an arm around her wife, rubbing her arm to let her know it was fine. They took quick glances at the Columbia Memorial and Iran Rescue Memorial before joining a group that was crowded near the Tomb of the Unknown.

Beca had only seen the Changing of the Guard a handful of times, but got more and more amazed each time watching it. They watched how the guards walked down the black carpet, took sharp turns, moved guns to opposite shoulders, all while doing it meticulously. This time, it was Chloe's turn to stare at her spouse. She watched the changing too, but she admired how Beca stood straight up and stared straight at them, not blinking or moving a muscle.

By the time the whole thing was over, Chloe was stunned, even if she watched Beca through half of it. "That was...have you ever seen that?" She questioned, holding Beca's hand as they tried to quickly separate from the crowd.

"A few times. I would love to do it, but it would never happen."

"Believe in yourself, babe." Chloe looked at her wife.

"I'm not in the 3rd Infantry Regiment. More like 5th Special Forces Group, 2nd Battalion."

Soon, they boarded the shuttle bus again, but this time they went to Section 60. For many young families there, it was a tough place to be. It is where the men and women who fought in the Middle East were buried. They didn't have a specific grave to go to, so they just slowly walked down the path until one of them caught Beca's eye.

She let go of Chloe's hand and turned to her left instead of walking along the straight path. Chloe just watched as she bent down to look at the headstone of someone she knew.

"He was on my first tour." She paused to sit down, crossing her legs in criss-cross-applesauce way, as Jaxson would say. Chloe slowly walked towards her so she could hear her speak. "He was in the same battalion as me, but ranked higher. The Iraq War was a bitch up until the end. About three months before we withdrew, we were checking buildings and all of a sudden there was an explosion. Jesse and I were together away from it, but we still saw it and heard the screams, his screams." She had hard eyes that didn't leave the engravement of his name. Chloe was now sitting the same way, but again had tears welling up. "We got him on a truck and he lived an hour or so, but his injuries were bad. I didn't know him that well, except his life was the Army." Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Iraq War were also engraved in the stone. Beca eventually snapped out of her gaze and looked at Chloe, whose lip was quivering. She didn't hear many stories, but this was definitely one she wasn't going to forget.

Beca wiped a few of the tears that rested on Chloe cheek and looked her in the eye. "I'm not going down like that. There's no way I'm dying without my family at my bedside when I'm a hundred years old."

That made Chloe choke out a laugh. She wiped a few more tears onto her sleeve and replied, "And I'll be a hundred and three, laying next to you." Beca smiled, stood up, and offered her hand to Chloe. She calmed down and they continued to walk around the cemetery, Beca making sure to avoid anymore tear-worthy stories.

* * *

"Hey, how was it? Where did you guys go?" Scott asked as they approached the porch, Jaxson already in Chloe's arms.

"It was good." Beca gave her wife a warm smile. "We went to Arlington National Cemetery, went to the zoo, and drove around the Pentagon, since you have to schedule tours 2 weeks in advance, or something." Chloe passed off the boy to Beca, who quickly placed him on her hip, allowing him to play with her hair.

"Thanks for watching Jax, it means a lot." Chloe gave Scott a quick hug before heading inside.

Scott faced his daughter with a smirk on his face. "You made her cry, didn't you?"

Beca nodded her head, "Oh yeah." Her and Scott laughed as they walked towards the house. "How was Jaxson?"

Scott shrugged, "I think we bonded pretty well."

"He cried most of the time, didn't he?"

"Oh yeah."

* * *

 **This was supposed to be posted earlier in the week, whoops. I just wanted to show Beca struggling with PTSD a bit, bonding with her dad, and the story she told Chloe. The ending to this was kinda bad, so I'll try to make up for that. Also, I've never been to Arlington National Cemetery, so if i messed anything up, my apologies. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

 _ **Important note: I am not in the United States Army, nor do I have any close relatives in the Army. All of the information, such as ranks and bases, are based off of intense research. If I say anything wrong, please correct me, it would be very appreciated.**_


	4. November 13, 2015

"Hey Chlo, hand me a wrench." Beca said from under the kitchen sink. A pipe had a slow leak, and instead of calling maintenance, she decided to take it upon herself to fix it.

Chloe grabbed a tool from the tool bag and handed it to her. There was a long, audible sigh, followed by "This is a screwdriver, not a wrench."

"I thought you knew that I know nothing about tools." The redhead shrugged. She never had to deal with any kind of maintenance, let alone having to know about tools. It was always Beca's job.

"I thought you might know the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver." She went to sit up, and bashed her head on the inside edge of the cabinet. A loud thud and curse words could be heard throughout the house as she touched her forehead to find that she was bleeding.

"Shit, Beca." Chloe said as she flung a towel in her wife's direction, then going to the refrigerator for an ice pack.

Beca had a sizeable gash on her forehead, not too big but big enough to bleed through the folded towel. "Why do I need an ice pack?" She slid away from the sink, sitting against their kitchen's island.

"Makes the blood vessels dilate so you don't bleed as much." The ice pack was green jelly-like beads in a flimsy frog-shaped pack. Figures, as their one year old was the most common to get hurt. "Shit Beca, you're bleeding a lot." The brunette's entire forehead was now covered in drying blood. Chloe got a new towel and wrapped the ice pack in it.

"Think I'll need stitches?" Beca winced as Chloe changed the bloody towel out for the new, cold towel.

"No, I think you'll be fine."

They sat there for a few minutes until they heard Jaxson making noise from his pack-and-play, indicating he had woken up from his nap. Beca moved from the floor to a stool as Chloe got their son, sitting him on the island in front of Beca.

"Ouchie." The small boy pointed to where his mom was holding the ice pack; his mom trying more to keep the injury hidden from his view.

"Yeah, it hurts bud." Beca played with his chubby, little fingers. Chloe left the room and came back with a box of band-aids, antiseptic wash, cotton balls, and antibacterial gel. With Jax still sitting on the island, Chloe poured the antiseptic wash on a cotton ball and dabbed in on the cut.

Beca wanted people to believe she was a badass, she always did. In high school she wore black and listened to a lot of music while she worked out, and now she was a Special Forces Sergeant. Even though she wanted people to believe she was a badass, she still screamed and shook her head when her cut began to sting.

"That's just the cut being clean, Beca, calm down." Chloe rolled her eyes as she pulled a large bandaid out of the box and put the gel on it.

"Calm down, Mommy." Jaxson giggled as he repeated his mother's words. Beca felt her insides melt and she took a few deep breaths, playing with her son's hair to distract her.

Chloe made her wife tilt her head up, gently placing the band-aid over the wound. Before letting her head go, she kissed her forehead. "All better. Right Jaxo?" She smiled as Jaxon scooted forward, placing his chubby hands on Beca's face and giving a slobbery kiss.

* * *

"What did you do to your head?" Jesse pointed to Beca's forehead the next morning as they walked into one of the office buildings on base. They had to get details on what their duty assignments would be now that they weren't deployed for the moment.

"I don't wanna talk about it." She shook her head and laughed. When they are outside she can cover it with her cap, but when they were inside, her bandaged wound was visible by everyone.

After walking down a series of hallways, they finally got to the right office and Jesse knocked on the frame of the open door. "Mitchell, Swanson, come in." Behind a desk sat a skinny man who had a deep voice. He wore the same uniform as Beca and Jesse, but did not share the same "Special Forces" patches.

"Starting tomorrow, both of you will report to targets at 0900. You'll oversee shooting qualifications and practice until 1800. Today, do whatever the hell you want." He smiled at them, typing something into his computer. A sign of dismissal, both of them thanked him as they left.

"So what are you going to do?" Jesse asked as he walked behind Beca.

"I'm going to spend it with my family."

 _Put this on to make me all hot and bothered ;)_

 _But really, we're going somewhere fancy_

 _Love, Beca_

Chloe read the note that sat on their bed, inches away from a short black dress. She don't know how she did it, but somehow Beca had snuck into their room while Chloe was in the bathroom, or finishing up the last load of laundry. Holding up the dress to get a good look, Jaxson walked into the room, wearing a blue button down shirt and black dress pants. Behind the boy followed his mom. Chloe dropped her jaw, as before her stood her wife, who was in a blue dress, the same shade as Jaxson's shirt, her hair curled, and makeup done.

"Beca, how did you-"

"Don't worry about that." Beca walked up to her wife and rested her hands on her hips. "I don't start work again until tomorrow, so I wanted to treat my family to something nice. So get that dress on, hot stuff, so we can eat." She smacked her wife's butt as she walked away, getting another shocked look.

When Chloe was left alone in their bedroom again, the redhead began to smile like an idiot. Whenever Beca was home, she always managed to make it memorable. Of course their small vacation to Virginia was nice, but seeing her wife in a dress was even nicer. Beca was rarely ever in a dress, so every moment she was in one, Chloe savored it.

* * *

"What's your work schedule like?" Chloe said as she cut a piece of her lasagna.

"9 to 18-, 6. 9am to 6pm." Beca often forgot that Chloe didn't use military time. Of course, she knew how to read it and knew what 1800 meant, but she liked to save the trouble and say normal times. "It's overseeing shooting qualifications. So pretty easy."

Beca herself was an Expert Marksman on a Rifle, Automatic Rifle, and Pistol, and a Marksman in Machine Gun. She prided herself on her training and marksman skills, so she was thrilled when she received orders to qualify others.

Once the women had a couple of bites of food, lasagna for Chloe, fettuccine alfredo for Beca, Jaxson began to squirm in his booster seat. The little boy already ate 2 of his 3 chicken strips and a couple fries. His small cup of chocolate milk was also nearly gone.

"Come here little guy." Beca lifted her son out of the seat and placed him on her lap. The restaurant was rather fancy, including a pianist and a couple of sculptures. Neither woman wanted their son to make loud, crying noises while there. He continued to squirm in her arms, but they were not going to let the kid run around the place.

"Maybe he needs a nap."

"Maybe he needs his ass changed." Beca chuckled as she lifted the toddler off her legs. Chloe grabbed the diaper bag and took their son to the bathroom.

"You owe me." Chloe winked as Beca started eating her pasta again. Beca's skin got goosebumps, because she was prepared for what she owes Chloe. More than prepared.

* * *

"That pasta was so damn good." Beca said as she plopped onto the bed, her shoes flying in different directions. "10/10 would fuck, guarantee you."

Chloe chuckled as she shook her head at her wife. "10/10 may fuck the pasta, but I wanna fuck something different." She raised an eyebrow at her wife, who quickly got the hint and sat up.

"Come here." Beca's hand grabbed the side of Chloe's face and brought her closer, engrossing her in a kiss. The redhead's dress laced down just below her boobs in the front but zipped all the way down in the back. To tease Beca, she undid the lace and showed just enough cleavage to have Beca begging for more. "You're such a tease." She muttered in between kisses. The brunette started to leave kisses on her neck and shoulders, Chloe undoing her wife's dress.

"Says the one who's been feeling up my leg all night." Chloe could feel her wife smile, continuing to kiss her shoulder. She laid on her back, forcing Beca on top of her, after the dress hit the floor. One of Beca's hands found itself on the older woman's thigh again. The other was near Chloe's head as the kisses got deeper and deeper. Chloe hands slid up her back and unhooked her bra…

Then the baby monitor went off.

Beca and Chloe tried to continue, but their son's screams showed no sign of stopping. Chloe volunteered to see what the problem was, as Beca was nearly naked. Silently saying curse words to herself, Beca found her pajamas and slipped them on as she heard her wife try to calm down their son.

"Beca? Can you get the baby aspirin out of the bathroom? I think little man is running a fever." Chloe said over the speaker of the baby monitor. She trudged to their attached bathroom and grabbed the bottle as the rest of her family was walking into the bedroom, Jaxson's tired face looking flushed as he rested on his mom's hip.

"Maybe it was the food? He was being a little shit at dinner." Beca grabbed the boys hand. His blue eyes followed her movements, but he didn't move his hand away like usual.

Beca pulled back the sheets on their bed, climbing into bed and ready to take Jaxson so Chloe could change clothes. She broke up a pill and put it into his bottle, which was half filled with water. His face did feel warm, but she placed him under the blankets with her anyway. He began to drink his bottle. Chloe finally joined them in bed, and Jaxson became the middle of a Mom sandwich.

"I'm sorry we couldn't, y'know, finish." Chloe whispered as she played with the boy's hair, the boy struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Our son's health comes first. And trust me, it won't be the last time you get some of this." Beca winked at her wife. Finally, they watched as the bottle slipped out of his hand and eyes finally closing shut. The women mutually decided not to move him and let him stay with them

"Also, you still look really hot with that gash in your forehead."

* * *

"Swanson, question." Beca said as they walked away from the shooting range. They had been working their new orders for 3 weeks, and honestly, they loved it. They enjoyed getting to work, then going home to their families at the end of the day, something that didn't happen often enough.

"Go for it."

"When we were deployed, you said that Aubrey was your fiancee. Only spouses can live on base with you, so am I missing something?" Jesse grinned, earning him a punch from Beca.

"We got eloped while you were in Virginia. We were going to wait, but our families never seemed to have the same opinions on wedding dates. We're having a big party at a later date." His smile stretched from ear to ear, showing how proud he was that he had a wife. He never wore a ring, but a lot of service members didn't so that they wouldn't ruin it. Beca always wore hers. "Now lemme ask you a question."

Beca nodded, signaling him to continue. They walked to work, so they needed something to fill the silence of the mile walk.

"How did you know Chloe was the one? I'm not doubting my decision, but I'm also 25. You were what, 20?"

Beca smiled at the thought of her wife. "23, but we met when I was 19. I just knew from that moment. She was 22 when I told her about the Army. She could have left and lived a completely different life as a free, young adult, but she decided to follow me and stick by me and every stupid decision I make. How could I not love that?" Beca knew she would be a strong independant woman, but she knew she was a better person with Chloe in her life.

* * *

"I'm so happy I took today off. Worth it." Beca said as she walked in the house, Jaxson in one arm and an ice cream cone in the other.

Beca slept in late that morning, something she could rarely do. From there, the family went out to lunch and took Jaxson to the park where he took his Captain America toy on every swing, slide, and playset possible. Afterwards the happy family decided to get ice cream and relax before getting dinner ready. When they finally got settled in the house, Beca turned on the tv. They had watched the news that morning, so that's what was currently on.

" _For those of you just tuning in this afternoon, there has been a devastating attack on Paris, France. Around 9pm in Paris, an explosion went off at_ _the Stade de France, followed by multiple shootings and more explosions around the city. ISIL has claimed responsibility for the attacks."_

Chloe didn't even need to look at Beca to know something was wrong, the TV had said it all. Their country's ally was just attacked, and Beca's job forced her to be on the front lines to stop any further attacks.

Something weird happened inside of Beca's body, something almost unexplainable. She wanted to vomit, but knew she couldn't. She already knew she would be deployed again in a short amount of time. It wasn't the thought of deployment that made Beca want to throw up, it was her job. She signed up and trained for this. It wasn't leaving her family, because she had done it multiple times, and even though she hated it, they knew she was protecting them. It was the thought of someone, something, doing so awful at a time when they were defenseless. Beca had never been to Paris, but from pictures and stories, it sounded like a great place that didn't deserve such a violent attack.

"Beca, talk to me." Chloe was standing behind the couch, watching her wife go from smiling and laughing, to having a blank, expressionless face. Jaxson was off somewhere in the room, not paying attention to anything his moms were saying.

Before she knew it, Beca was rushing out of the back door and jogging into the yard. She made it to her son's playset before she started heaving. Not from vomit, maybe, but because she could feel the tears prick her eyes; a stinging feeling that wasn't felt too often. Beca didn't mind going overseas, it was watching her brothers and sisters being shot down trying to protect their loved ones back home.

Beca pulled her phone out of her pocket, hands not shaking yet. She dialed one number, someone who she shared all of her experiences with, and would have the same emotions as her.

"Hey, did you watch the news….we're going back to war."

* * *

 **Ayyyeee long time, no post! over a year, to be exact... i'm sorry! I have actually been writing this and other chapters, so at least more will come out in the near future.**

 **This chapter is all over the place, but again, it's been a year. I just really wanted to show Beca and Chloe's relationship when Beca is home, Beca with Jaxson, and what Beca and Jesse would be doing when not deployed.**

 **Yes, I added the 2015 Paris attacks into this. I probably will not go into detail, but it was an opening to add more drama into the plot. I do remember watching everything on TV. I apologize if it hits a sore spot with people, I dont ever mean to do that.**

 _ **Important note: I am not in the United States Army, nor do I have any close relatives in the Army. All of the information, such as ranks and bases, are based off of intense research. If I say anything wrong, please correct me, it would be very appreciated.**_


End file.
